Usipi

Usipi

The Usipi were a German tribe whose territory lay on the right bank of the Rhine (and thus outside the Roman Empire, in Germania), probably between the valleys of the Lahn and Sieg. They are mentioned in Ptolemy's "Geography" and in Tacitus' "Germania" (chapter 32), where they are described as one of the neighbouring tribes to the Chatti and the Tencteri during the 1st century AD.

They are most notoriously recorded in Tacitus' "Agricola" (chapter 28), where he recounts how a cohort drafted into the Roman army mutinied whilst on campaign in northern Britain (presumably on the west coast) with his father-in-law, the general Gn. Iulius Agricola (probably in AD 82, although the chronology is disputed). They killed the centurion and regular Roman soldiers based with them for training purposes, then stole three ships and sailed round the northern end of Britain, their hardships including being driven to cannibalism by shortage of food. They finally made landfall in the territory of the Suebi, where some were captured by that tribe. Others were caught by the Frisii and a few survivors were sold into slavery to tell their tale.

Dio Cassius tells a similar (if rather simplified) story but places the events a few years earlier.

It is likely that they were synonymous with the Usipetes, a tribe attacked by Julius Caesar in 55 BC.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Nordwestblock — The Nordwestblock (English: North West Block ), is a hypothetical cultural region, that several 20th century scholars propose as a prehistoric culture, thought to be roughly bounded by the rivers Meuse, Elbe, Somme and Oise (the present day… …   Wikipedia

  • Chatti — This article is about the ancient Germanic tribe. For the village in Pakistan, see Chathi. The Roman empire under Hadrian (ruled 117–138), showing the location of the Chatti in central Germany. The Chatti (also Chatthi or Catti) were an ancient… …   Wikipedia

  • Campaign history of the Roman military — This article is part of the series on: Military of ancient Rome (portal) 753 BC – AD 476 Structural history Roman army (unit types and ranks …   Wikipedia

  • Kokborok language — language name=Kokborok states=India and Bangladesh region=Tripura, Assam, Mizoram, Bangladesh speakers=950,000+ 854,023 in India (2001); 105,000 in Bangladesh (1993) familycolor=Sino Tibetan fam2=Tibeto Burman fam3=Kamarupan fam4=Bodo Garo… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Germanic peoples — This is a list of Germanic peoples. Classical philosophyThe Greeks assigned names to populations they considered distinct based on the city state ( polis ) to which they belonged. Intermingled with this system was an earlier one derived from the… …   Wikipedia

  • Tencteri and Usipetes — The Tencteri and Usipetes were Germanic tribes located on the eastern bank of the lower Rhine in the 1st century BC. They are known primarily from Julius Caesar s account of his campaigns against them in his Commentarii de Bello Gallico .Caesar… …   Wikipedia

  • Usípetes — Los usípetes (en latín, Usipetes; también aparecen como Usipi, usipos) fueron una tribu germánica emparentada con los téncteros, con los que vivieron durante un tiempo, hasta que cruzaron juntos el Rin y fueron atacados y derrotados por Julio… …   Wikipedia Español

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”